Packing cradle



March 31,4 1931. G. E. P. WRIGHT ET Al. 1,798,574

PACKING CRADLE Filed Mayv 21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORJ M @QW/agit 7 @WHW/,EM

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Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GORDON E. P. WRIGHT, OF FORD CITY, AND EDWARD G. MAXWELL, OF TARENTUM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA rAoKrNG CRADLE i Application filed May 21, 1929. Serial No. 364,931.

The invention relates to a cradle for supporting and turning the boxes in which plate glass is packed. During the packing operat-ion, the box must be supported with one of its large sides in approximately a horizontal plane, but before such box is lifted by the overhead crane and tackle, it must be turned so that the large sides are in substantially a vertical plane, in order to avoid the danger of the box flexing sufficiently to crack the glass. The present invention is designed to provide a simple means for supporting the glass and then turning it from a horizontal to a vertical position, which can be handled with ease and safety by the operator. A further object is the provision of a cradle which can be used with `boxes of widely varying size. One embodiment of the invention is lillustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View of the cradle. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation in the position occupied when the cradle is loaded. And Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the cradle in the position occupied when not loaded.

Referring to the drawings, the frame of the cradle is made up of two side pieces of wood 1 and 2 having rocker surfaces, as illustrated, and suitably tied together and braced by bars of wood and iron rods. There are a number of iron rods 3, 4, 5, etc.l extending between the rockers 1 and 2 provided with spacers in the form of nuts on the rods engaging the inner faces of the members 1 and 2. Y The wood braces comprise the members 6 and 7 and the diagonal braces 8 and 9 suitably secured to the members 1 and 2'. A transverse bar 10 at the rear end of the frame serves as a handle for tilting the frame in transferring the loaded box from the cradle to the iioor as later described.

A pair of legs 11 are provided at the rear end of the frame, and when suclrframe is in unloaded posit-ion, as indicated in Fig. 4, the ends of the legs liust clear the floor and act as stops for preventing' the frame from tilting too far in that direction. When the cradle is loaded, as indicated in Fig. 3, it is swung to the right and a pair of legs 12 serve to limit the rocking movement of the cradle in that direction. upon a rod 13 and are connected together by a transverse bar 14. They may be swung from the rear end of the frame by means of a bar 15 pivoted by means of a U-bolt 16 to the central portion of the bar 14. This bar has at its end a handle or grip 17 and intermediate its ends is a notch 18. When in the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the notch 18 is engaged by a plate 19 carried by the transverse bar 7, such bar being secured to the rocker members 1, 2. The plate 19 serves as a lock for the bar 15 so that the legs are securely held in the position shown. The edges of the members 1 and 2 are sheathed with strips of sheet metal 21 in order to protect them from wear and at the end of the frame are bent up so as to form the stop members 22. The purpose of these stop members is to prevent the box on the cradle from slipping olf when the cradle is being tilted from the loaded position shown to discharge position with the stops 22 in contact with the floor or adjacent thereto. I

l/Vhen the cradle is in loading position with the box thereon, it occupies a position shown in Fig. 3 with the supporting surface 23 in a horizontal position. This surface is of sufficient length to supportthe smaller boxes which are loaded on the cradle, such as the box A. Such box lies with its center of gravity to the right of the vertical center line of the cradle, so that when the legs 12 are swung to the rear by means of the bar 15, the cradle tends to move by gravity to discharge position with the stop 22 in Contact with the Hoor and very little effort is required on the part of the operator to control its movement from the handle 10. To the rear of the supporting surface 23 is a second upwardly inclined surface 24. This-surface is engaged by the ends of boxes larger than the box A, such as the box B, indicated in dotted lines. Still larger boxes, such as the box @,indicatcd in dotted lines, vmay also be loaded upon the cradle. With all of such boxes, the center of gravity of the box will lie to the right of the center line of the cradle so that when the legs y1.2 are moved out of These legs are pivotedV position, the cradle will tend to swing by gravity to discharge position. The effect of providing the inclined surface 24 is to insure that the center of gravity of the box being loaded shall be higher and further to the right than would be the case if no inclined surface were used and the surface 23 were extended further to the rear to accommodate boxes of larger size. The construction, therefore, renders the cradle easier to tilt and discharge when larger size boxes than the box A. are loaded. IVhen large size boxes, such as the boxes B and C, are loaded, it is desirable to support such boxes intermediate their ends so that the bottoms thereof will remain perfectly flat under the load of glass, and in order `to secure this result, a pair of tiltingfbraces 42.5 are employed. Such braces are pivoted upon a transverse rod 20 and are tied together by means of a transverse bar 26. rlhe braces are held in adjusted position by means of a pair of rack bars 27 pivotcd to the braces and secured together as to move in unison with the tie bar 2S l) rlfhe lower faces of these racks are adapted to engage a transverse rod 29 extending through the rocker members l, 2. By this adjusting means, the braces 25 can be held at any desired position to engage the bottoms of boxes lying at different elevations. rEhe braces are shown in dotted lines in F ig. 3 in the vertical position of adjustment occupied when supporting` the box C, and are also shown in such ligure in horizontal position.

lVhen the device is not in service, both sets of legs ll and 12 are out of engagement with the floor upon which the cradle rests, as indicated in Fig. Ll, so that the devicemay be dragged around from place to place without interference by the legs. IVhen it is desired to load a box, such as the box A, it is placed upon the surface 23 of the cradle with its ends projecting out past the rocker members l and 2. At this time, the cradle assumes the position indicated in F ig. 2 with the surface 23 horizontal and the legs l2 in engagement with the floor. Glass is now brought to the box and it is packed in the usual way and a cover applied, and the operator tilts the cradle by releasing the bar l5 from its catch and pulling the legs l2 to the left so that the cradle is free to tilt. This tilting is controlled by the operator, who grasps the handle l0, so that when the stop 22 reaches the floor, the box will have assumed approximately a vertical position. The cradle can now be easily disengaged from the box leaving it in this position, suitable tackle being employed for carrying the box away to storage.

lVhat we claim is:

l. In combination in a packing cradle, a rocker frame having a fiat supporting surface for a box to be loaded on its upper side extending rearward from the front end of the frame, a swinging leg pivoted to the frame at its front end for engaging the floor on which the cradle is mounted and adapted to maintain the cradle with the support-ing surface in substantially horizontal position when the cradle is loaded, and a second supporting surface on the upper side of the cradle extending upwardly and to thc iear from the rear edge of the first surface.

2. In combination in a packing cradle, a rocker frame having a flat supporting surfacefora box to be loaded on its upper side extending rearward from the front end of the frame, a swinging leg pivoted to the frame at it-s front end for engaging the floor on which the cradle is mounted and adapted to maintain the cradle with the supporting surface in substantially horizontal position when the cradle is loaded, a second supporting surface on the upper side of the cradle extending upward and to the rear from therear edge of the first surface, and anl adjustable brace carried by the frame adapted to engage and support the bottom of a box on the cradle intermediate its ends when such box is supported in part by each of said surfaces.

3. In combination in a packing cradle, a rocker frame having a flat supporting surface for a box to be loaded on its upper side extending rearward from the front end of the frame, a swinging leg pivoted to the frame at its front end for engaging the floor on which the cradle is mounted and adapted to maintain the cradle with the supporting surface in substantially horizontal position when the cradle is loaded, a second supporting surface on the upper side of the cradle extending upward and to the rear from the rear edge of the first surface, a brace pivoted to the frame and adapted to be swung so that it projects above said rst surface to engage the bottom of a box which rests in part on one surface and in part on the other surface, and means for holding the brace in a plurality of dierent positions of adjustment.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.

GORDON E. P. WRIGHT. EDWARD G. MAXWELL.

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